Panthers vs Bears: Defense Bails the Bears out Again in Week 8 Victory
Published by Andrew Garda on October 28, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
There was debate as to whether the Bears were the best team in the NFL.
We can say this with authority: The Bears defense might be the best team in the NFL. If you add the offense in, the jury might still be out.
The defense is what has kept this team in more games than we can count the last few years, and once again they had to make the big plays to win this game.
Even the defense had its share of struggles, as the Carolina Panthers got out to a surprising lead of 19-7 at the end of three quarters of play.
However it was the defense, Tim Jennings to be exact, who gave the team their second lead of the day and got them back into the game.
The pick, his second on the day and sixth of the season, was returned 25 yards for a touchdown and seemed to shake the somewhat sleepy-looking defense and offense both.
The offensive issues seemed to stem from two old favorites of the media, the poor offensive line protection and Jay Cutler.
Both were issues as the offensive line (especially Gabe Carimi) kept getting blown up, and then Cutler was just holding on to the ball far too much.
Oddly the play-calling constantly seemed to be the opposite of what was working. When Matt Forte was running well, they seemed intent on throwing the ball, while when the pass worked, they decided to run.
In the end, the offense got its act together to drive down the field for a last-minute field goal.
However, the day once again belonged to the defensive unit.
At some point, you think the offense will have to start moving more effectively. Then again, every time we think that, the defense proves that they can do the heavy lifting without any real issue.
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